No traditional film cameras -- only a smartphone.
No studio.
No distributor.
No previous experience making movies.
How did "Olive" co-directors and co-writers Hooman Khalili (left) and Pat Gilles make a feature film under these circumstances?
Moreover, how did they rope in Gena Rowlands, raise thousands of dollars in funding thanks in part to a former Facebook executive -- and get Oscar to take notice of the film?
"Olive," the first feature film to be shot entirely with a smartphone, has already had two limited runs in L.A.-area arthouse theaters; a song from the movie is on the short-list for an Academy Award.
"It's the ultimate Cinderella story," Khalili told TheWrap. "So far, it's been a miracle."
"Olive" is a family-friendly, PG-rated movie about a young girl (played by Ruby Alexander) who visits three troubled adults and, without speaking, transforms their lives.
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Some might consider the movie to be a gimmick; with a production budget of $430,000, Drake Doremus could've shot two movies. But whatever the case, there's no doubt that the project was a labor of love.
Khalili -- who is a morning-radio personality in San Francisco -- began work on "Olive" with Gilles in January 2010, and they spent the ensuing 15 months trying to get funding.
Khalili decided from the get-go that he would use the Nokia N8 to make the film; unlike other smartphones, high-resolution footage taken with the Nokia device don't break up or pixellate when it is enlarged.
(While "Olive" is the first feature film to be made with a smartphone, "Oldboy" director Park Chan-wook used the iPhone to shoot his 30-minute movie from 2011, "Paranmanjang.")
Having settled on the Nokia phone for the shooting of "Olive," Khalili approached representatives for the company, pleading his case that the movie would help promote the smartphone.
"The movie says, 'This is what you can do with our smartphone -- you can create something beautiful,' " Khalili said.
But his efforts proved fruitless, as Khalili wasn't able to provide estimates on what Nokia's returns would be were the company to invest in the film.
After he was turned down by Nokia, Khalili approached Chris Kelly, the former chief privacy officer of Facebook. In 2010, Khalili supported Kelly during his failed run for California attorney general.
"I said, 'That's a great idea, but the story's got to work too,'" said Kelly, who has executive-produced documentaries including 2011's "The Power of Two" and "Jiro Dreams of Sushi." "So we looked through the script, and it looked fantastic. We deliberately wanted people to say at the end, 'I completely forget that movie was shot on a cellphone.' "
Along with additional funding from San Francisco businessman Bill O'Keefe, Khalili was able to cover the costs of the film -- which were substantial, due in part to casting expenses.
